All We Fight For
by tourniquet1980
Summary: This is a story detailing the years between Tracy's death, and the finale, and beyond.
1. Chapter 1 - Tragedy

**All We Fight For**

**Chapter 1 – Tragedy**

**2024**

Ted looked up at the casket from his seat in the front row. He had cried all the tears already. He had known this was the endgame. It still hadn't really hit him, though, until he had seen Tracy in that coffin. _She's really gone._ He slowly got up from his seat, placed one gentle hand on the now closed casket, and walked slowly out of the small funeral home sanctuary. Marshall and Lily were waiting, trying to corral their three children, Marvin, Daisy, and Ted. Barney stood in his impeccable suit holding a very asleep Ellie, and Robin held the hands of Penny and Luke, both of whom looked like Ted felt. He had thought about keeping them away from this, but knew he couldn't. It wouldn't have been right. Though only nine and seven, they had grown up quite a bit over the last year. Ted and Tracy had been open and honest with them from the beginning of her diagnosis. They saw their dad walking towards them and ran to him, and the little family cried together in the small lobby as slowly his friends came and formed a hug around them, crying as well.

As they broke apart, Ted looked at his kids. "Penny, Luke, you ok?"

Penny, every inch her mother's daughter, looked him in the eye, and said, "Of course we are, Dad. We've got you." Ted smiled at her, then looked up at his friends.

"You guys coming back to the house? My mom put together some refreshments and stuff."

Marshall smiled and said "Of course we are, buddy. We'll follow you."

Ted ushered Penny and Luke into the back of his car, and then made his way back to the house he had worked so hard to fix. They walked in to find a few others already milling about, looking at photo albums, and talking. Penny and Marvin, being the oldest of the "cousins", took the kids into the playroom, as Ted went to find his mom.

"Mom, we're here."

Virginia rushed over to him and hugged her son tightly. "How are you doing?"

Ted quirked his signature half smile at her, "I'm getting there. I've had time to get used to this." His voice caught in his throat at this, but he caught himself before going into a full on cry. "How is the food and stuff coming? Do you need help?"

Lily came up from behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and said "You go, sit and talk to people. I'll help."

He smiled at Lily, gave her his thanks, and went to the living room to visit with his guests, and reminisce over his bride.

HIMYM

Later that night, after the kids had been put to bed, Ted sat alone in his study, holding the yellow umbrella that had so intertwined his and Tracy's life together. He cried silent tears as he thought of the eleven years he had Tracy in his life, and now she was gone. As he held tightly to that umbrella, he heard the shuffling of small feet, and turned around to see little Luke shyly looking at the floor. "Hey, buddy, why are you out of bed?" Ted asked as he hurriedly wiped the tears from his face.

"I miss mommy," Luke replied, the sadness in his little face rending Ted's heart in two yet again.

"Come here," said Ted. "You want to sleep with me tonight?" Luke nodded, and Ted scooped him up and went to his bed, silently grateful that he would not have to be alone.

HIMYM

Three weeks later, Ted walked into his office at Columbia University to gather his things, as he had tendered his resignation shortly before Tracy's death. He had promised her that for the first year after her death he would be a stay at home father and work on his architecture designs. As he packed his things into his care for the drive back to Westchester, he smiled at the thought of spending time with his kids while doing the work that he loved. The kids were in school that day, however, so he decided to spend a little time in the city before they got home. One drink at MacLaren's couldn't hurt, right? He pulled out his phone and called his friends to see if they could join him , and only Lily had answered.

"Sure, Ted! That sounds fun. Give me a half hour." she said quickly.

"Awesome. See you then." Ted drove to a lot nearby, locked his car, and took a cab to MacLaren's.

"Hey, Lily. Marshall! You came too!"

"Yeah, the court is in recess for the month, so I thought I'd tag along." Marshall said, grinning.

They got their drinks and sat down, noting with not just a bit of sheepishness that they were the oldest patrons in the bar. "Nothing makes you feel as old as going to a bar in the city," Lily laughed, but quickly sobered as she fidgeted with an envelope in her hands.

"What's that?" Ted questioned, as Lily cleared her throat.

"Well, its a letter. For you… from Tracy."

Ted stared wide eyed as he gulped down the swig of beer he had just taken. "What?"

"Its a letter from Tracy to you. She gave it to me about three months ago, when she knew she wasn't -" Lily couldn't continue, as the tears pooled in her eyes. She silently handed him the letter.

"I don't know if I should read this here." Ted choked out.

"We don't want you to be alone when you read it, though," said Marshall, holding back tears of his own. "Come to our house."

They left the bar and took a taxi to the home on Central Park West that they had purchased just two years ago, wanting a home befitting Marshall's status as a Supreme Court Justice. They walked into the living room, sat down, and Ted sighed as he took out the letter. With a final look across the coffee table at Marshall and Lily, he began to read.

_Teddy,_

_If you have this letter in your hands, it means I am gone. Go ahead, cry, I'll wait…. Finished? Good. Now listen here, Mr. Mosby. You have my permission to grieve for as long as you need, but remember what I said at the inn, don't live in your stories. Move forward. I don't know what form that will take for you, but I hope and pray that you will. I will miss you. I will miss your smile, the way you always go big for me, and the way you love our kids. I will always love you, Theodore Evelyn Mosby. Tell Penny and Luke that I love them more than life, and will miss them so much. And Ted? Know that, in time, you will fall in love again. You are too good a man not to. You're quite the catch. So when it happens, let it happen. And go big for her too. But not too soon…. Hehe. Good bye, Ted. _

_With more love than I could possibly express in a short letter,_

_Tracy_

Ted looked up at his two best friends in the world through watery eyes, and smiled. "Thanks, guys. I mean it. Thank you, for everything." Without a word, Marshall and Lily joined him on the couch, and hugged him, all three knowing that in time, everything would be all right.


	2. Chapter 2 - Fighting for Normalcy

**Chapter 2 - Fighting for Normalcy**

**Spring 2025**

As the sun shone through the windows of the large master bedroom of the quiet house in Westchester, Ted slowly stretched and reached over to her side of the bed. Then he remembered. _Gone._

Just as he was about to sink down into despair yet again, a small ball of pajama-ed fury leaped into the middle of his chest. "Dad, dad, dad! Do you know what today is? Do ya, do ya, do ya?" Luke kept bouncing up and down on the bed and stared expectantly at his father.

Ted laughed at the exuberant look on Luke's face, and played dumb. "Saturday?"

Luke looked offended. "Well, yeah, duh, dad. I mean what else?"

"Hmmm…. can't think of anything that might be happening today…"

"Come on, Dad! It's Spring Break!"

"Oh, so you have some days off school… that's cool, I guess." Ted's face began to break a little at this last little ploy.

"Ugh, Daddy, come on!"

"Ohhhh, that's right. We're going to clean your room." At the look of fury on his son's face, he finally relented and laughed, "Of course I know what today is. We're going to…"

"UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!" shouted Luke.

"Yup. Let's get your sister up, eat some breakfast, and get packed. The plane leaves at 4 pm." He laughed again as he heard Penny yelling at her overexcited brother. _Thank you, baby. For our kids._

Ted navigated his way through the busy terminal at JFK, towing Luke, Penny and all their assorted luggage behind them. He was having quite a time of it, when he spotted salvation ahead. "Barney! Thank God!"

"Hey, Ted. Need a hand?" Barney smirked.

"No, I need an extra three. Can you take these two so I can check us in?" Ted pleaded with his eyes.

Barney laughed, "Of course. Luke, Penny! Come here!"

"UNCLE BARNEY!" the kids yelled in unison as they launched themselves at their honorary family member.

"Agh!" was all Barney was able to get out as he was bowled to the ground.

"Uncle Barney, guess what?" Luke asked.

"What?"

"We're going to see the Harry Potter park, and ride the rides, and drink butterbeer!"

Penny joined in "Don't forget, Luke, we're gonna see other stuff too."

"I know that, Pen, but nothing as cool as the Harry Potter stuff!"

Barney laughed at the antics of his niece and nephew. "Yeah, going there will be Legend - wait for it, and I hope you're not a Death Eater, 'cause we're gonna see - Harry! LegendHarry!" He heard a groan from behind him.

"Really, Barney? It's enough that on my one weekend a month with our daughter, all I hear is 'Awesome' and 'Legendary'. Now you're corrupting other people's children?"

Barney turned around and saw his daughter with her mother, the infamous #31.

"Thanks for bringing her. I was hoping having her for a week would make up for missing her this weekend. Did she behave?"

She sighed and handed Barney his sleeping daughter. "Of course she did. Here's her bag, but I'm assuming you have other stuff?"

"Yeah, I already checked it. It's all in with my stuff."

"Barney?" Ted said as he came back from the counter. "Who's this?"

Barney groaned. He had avoided this day for nearly five years, but it looked like one of his friends was about to meet the mysterious #31. "Ted, this is Ellie's mom, Tridesa Jedan. Tridesa, this is my best friend, Ted Mosby, and these are his kids, Penny and Luke."

"Pleasure. Listen, Barney, I can't take her next month at all. I'm going to be out of town. I'll video-call her though, OK?"

"Sure thing. Thanks, Tris." With that , Tridesa hurriedly left the boarding area for another gate, her own bag in tow.

"Wow. She's a real treat," Ted laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, she's a fashion something or other. Always busy. She's supposed to have Ellie one weekend a month, but she sees her maybe three times a year. I was really surprised she wanted her for this whole week," Barney sighed.

"I don't understand that. How can you have a kid and not want to spend as much time as possible with them?"

"Right? Right? I hate not seeing Ellie. And I have no idea what I'm going to do when she starts at school this fall. What am I going to do, Ted?"

Barney was nearly hyperventilating at this point.

"Calm down, Barney. You'll do what we all do. Cope." Ted looked down at his hands, hot tears threatening to leak from his eyes. "She would have loved this. All of us going on this big trip with the kids... I miss her so much." Ted was fully crying now.

Barney grabbed his friend in a rough hug. "We're here buddy. We're here."

Their flight didn't leave for another hour and a half, so they sat and entertained their kids while waiting for everyone else. Barney watched as Ellie smoothed her dress, and sauntered over to Luke. "Hey there, handsome," and winked at him.

Ted nearly spit out his coffee as he stared wide eyed at his little niece. "Ellie, sweetie, come here, lets play with some of your toys." He glared at Barney.

"What?" Barney feigned ignorance.

Just as Ted was about to scold his friend he heard a loud whack, and saw Barney rubbing his head. "What the..?"

They turned to see Marshall, Lily and their kids standing with their bags, Lily with that inscrutable look of fury on her face. "Youuu son of a b!% #! What have you been teaching our precious little niece?"

Barney finally had the good sense to look sheepish, as Marshall hurried his kids over to the others. "She just told me she thought Luke was cute, and so I, I…"

"What, did you write her a little Playbook, toddler edition?" Lily fumed.

"No, come on. I just gave her some pointers. But, hey, billion dollar idea alert!" He ducked as Lily swung again. "Kidding, just kidding, Lils, give me a little more credit than that!" No one noticed as he stuffed a small booklet deeper into his jacket pocket. "You made it!" He shouted, trying to divert attention away from himself.

Marshall joined them, "Yeah, Marvin and Daisy have been fighting all morning, and Teddy just sits there and watches them fight and laughs. It took forever to get everything ready."

Lily joined in, "That's not even the worst part. The worst part is Marshall was hogging the bathroom all morning." She glared at her husband.

"Honey, you know you shouldn't have made those burritos last night!" Marshall whined.

Ted and Barney laughed as they tried to corral their kids more tightly as the boarding area was filling up.

The adults sat to wait and watch their kids, and chatted about their lives. Just as Barney said something that was sure to earn him another smack in the head from Lily, someone cleared their throat from behind them. "So, this all looks… chaotic."

The four friends turned stunned eyes to the new arrival. "So, I heard you guys were going on a trip. Mind if I come?"

"Robin?" Lily said in disbelief "Is that really you?"

"Yup, it's really me. Here to go on vacation. With my friends. And six kids…" Robin's smile faltered slightly, as she was clearly intimidated.

They all laughed as they surrounded her and began to hug her, except for Ted. "I can't believe you came. I call, and I send letters and emails, but I never expect - but you're here now, so that's what's important." Lily said through her happy tears.

The truth was, Robin had rejoined the gang at Ted and Tracy's wedding, but had fallen away again after the funeral. She had taken Tracy's death almost as hard as Ted and the kids. She and Tracy had become very close, practically sisters in the four years between the wedding and funeral. Robin couldn't deal with seeing her friends family, so she again dove into her work. After seven months, she finally felt able to come back and deal with her own feelings.

Ted stared at Robin with exasperation and not a little bit of hatred. _How dare she? She just abandons all of us, and waltzes back in like nothing happened. God, I am so sick of her bs. _

Robin could see the anger simmering in Ted's eyes, so before he started to bury it like a good Ohioan, she said, "Ted, can I talk to you… alone?"

"Fine," Ted spat. "Can you guys watch them?"

The other three nodded, and Ted and Robin went to a quiet corner of the loading area. "What?" Ted gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Ted, I'm so sorry. I just -"

"You know what, Robin, save it. I can't believe you. You come back into all of our lives at my wedding, you become Tracy's closest friend, my kids favorite aunt, and then you just effing bail? What the hell is wrong with you? I don't mind you not contacting me, or Lily, or Marshall, and I can certainly understand why you aren't close to Barney, but I will be damned if I let anyone hurt my kids. Their mom had just died, Robin. You were supposed to be there to help me help them. But you just flaked out, like always." Ted stopped to catch his breath, face red with anger.

Robin looked at Ted with tears welling in her eyes, "I didn't know how to handle it, Ted. Tracy was one of my two best friends in the world, and she was gone. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to come over so many times, but I didn't know what to say. I know that I've messed up. Please, please forgive me." She was in a full crying jag now.

Ted looked at her, his fury subsiding just a bit. "No. I can't. Not for this. Not yet."

"What about Penny and Luke?" She pleaded.

"It's up to them. They're kids, so they'll probably be OK. But don't expect a whole lot from me. Not for a long time." Ted thundered back to his gathered friends, Robin following meekly in his wake.

The plane ride to Orlando was uneventful, besides the obvious frost between Ted and Robin. They offloaded their various children and pieces of luggage, got into the bus they had rented, and headed to the hotel for the night.

On the bus, Robin sat next to Penny and Luke so she could talk to them. There were a few tears shed, but in the end the kids forgave their favorite aunt.

The trip was something they would all remember for years to come, as it had brought their little group back together. From Marvin acting drunk on the butterbeer, to when Barney had fallen in the lake, it had, indeed, been LegendHarry. On the flight home, due to kids juggling their seats, Robin and Ted had been forced to sit together. Ted had taken the window seat and had pointedly ignored Robin throughout the first half of the flight. He continued this until he felt Robin get up and a much smaller body take her seat.

"Dad?" Penny asked, "Why are you mad at Aunt Robin?"

Ted looked at his daughter, struck by how much she looked like his lost love in that moment, and smiled sadly. "Honey, Aunt Robin did something very selfish, and I need time to think things through before I forgive her."

Penny looked thoughtfully at her father with those wise beyond her years eyes, and said eight words that were like a knife to his heart. "Do you think that's what Mom would want?"

Ted just stared at his daughter. "What?"

"Remember what Mom used to say? 'Holding onto hate is a poison to your soul.'"

Ted was stunned. How had Penny been able to saw his heart in half so cleanly? He began to tear up as he pulled her close. "You're right, sweetie. Go get Aunt Robin for me. And then stay in your seat, young lady," he smiled.

Penny bounded over to Robin, and Robin came to sit next to him again. He sighed, and continued to look out the window of the plane. "It's going to take time for everything to be ok, but I do forgive you. I'm still mad though."

"I understand. Just know, Ted, I will never leave those kids again. They are too important."

Ted smiled. "That much we agree on."


	3. Chapter 3 - Loss Compounded

Authors Note: In the previous chapter, I introduced Ellie's mom as Tridesa Jedan. It is pronounced like this - Tridesa (Tree-dessa) Jedan (Yay-don). Tris for short, like Trish without the h. Points to the person who can figure out the significance of her name :). Also, I know that this jumps ahead a year and a half, but I am not looking to write novel length fic. I feel this will go about 5 more chapters at most, unless I continue writing after 2030.

**Chapter 3 - Loss Compounded**

**Fall 2026**

The sky was bright and blue in huge contrast to the storms raging in the heart of Ted Mosby. _Two years. _That thought continued to echo in his mind as he drove into the wooded Banks Cemetery. He pulled his car off to the side, turned the key, and sat. He had been here numerous times over the past year, but today was different. "Okay, Ted, you can do this." He opened the door, grabbed the small bunch of flowers from the garden, and headed down the well known path towards Tracy's grave. He stood in front of the familiar headstone, placed the flowers in the small vase attached to the stone, and began to cry. Not a so called, teary-eyed 'manly' cry, but the cry of a man who has had his soul ripped from his body. He sank to his knees and continued to weep for what seemed to him an eternity. When his tears finally ran dry, he sat cross legged on the ground and stared at her tombstone. "Hey, Trace. It's been two whole years since you left. I really have no idea how I'm going to do this. I've been trying so hard to keep things together, but lately that ache in my chest just won't go away. I-I just miss you so much, more each day then the last." He sat quietly for a few minutes, then with a sigh, got up, dusted himself off, took one last look at the cold, hard ground that held his beloved, got into his car, and drove home.

HIMYM

Ted arrived home to find it empty. This was strange as he had left his two children with Robin, and intended to take them to the grave site upon his return. "Robin! Luke! Penny!" Ted began to worry, but just then spotted a note on the kitchen counter.

_Ted,_

_I tried to call you but your phone must have been off. Straight to Voice-mail. Anyway, I took Penny and Luke into the city. They were getting really sad about going to see their mom, and refused to go. I knew this would upset you, so I decided to take them into the Bronx Zoo to take their minds off of things. Take a deep breath and don't go crazy. We'll be back around 2._

_Robin_

Ted closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He was thankful that Robin was able to help with the kids, but at times, he wondered if that was a good thing. He took three deep breaths, Tracy's preferred remedy to think things through calmly, and relaxed. He knew Robin had the best of intentions, and he would have been highly upset if the kids had refused to his face to go to Tracy's grave. He sighed, grabbed a book, and headed into his office to relax and await their return.

HIMYM

Ted was startled awake by a giant stuffed lion staring him in the face. He screamed and jumped up off the couch in his study, and heard giggling coming from the doorway. He narrowed his eyes at the three laughing culprits, and then joined in the laughter. "Welcome back. Did you guys have fun?"

"Dad, the lion was so cool. He had such a big mane!" Luke said.

"The monkeys were so much cooler!" exclaimed Penny.

"Well, sounds like you guys have some favorite animals. Go get washed up, and we have to start on your homework. You have school tomorrow." Ted laughed as his two children grumbled on their way up the stairs. "You gonna be around for dinner?" he asked Robin.

"No can dosville, baby doll," smirks Robin as Ted gives her a dirty look. "I'm going out tonight with Eddie."

"Nice. So he's back in town?"

"Yeah, just for a couple weeks, so we're gonna spend some time together while he's here before he goes back out on assignment."

"Cool. Tell him I said hi," and Ted waved to Robin as she walked out the door.

HIMYM

Later that night, Ted was having a video chat with Marshall. "Hey, Marshall. How are things?"

"Great buddy. How's today been?" Marshall said with concern.

"Well, to tell the truth, it started out rough, but then I came home and got to relax. Robin took the kids to the zoo."

"Really? Robin came over? I thought you guys were still fighting?"

"Nah. I gave that up about a month ago. I realized that she was really hurt when Tracy… Hooo… sorry, give me a minute bro." Ted looked away, silently shedding tears as the memories began to slam into him full force. "Marshall, I'll call you back." He turned off the video phone and wept silently, not wanting to wake the just sleeping children upstairs. His video phone chimed that he was receiving a call. He wiped his eyes, took a deep breath, and checked the ID. His mother was calling. He thought this odd, because he had just talked to her two hours ago. "Hi, Mom. Did you forget something?"

"Sweet pea, I have some very bad news."

Ted inhaled sharply, taking note of his mother's red-rimmed eyes. "Oh, god, what, Mom?"

Virginia looked at her son through the video screen, barely containing the tears threatening to leave her eyes. "Ted, your father died."

HIMYM

The trip to Cleveland for his fathers upcoming funeral was extremely morose. Ted had not spoken to anyone but his children since the night he had found out his father had died. It turned out his father had been dead for more than three days before his body was found in his apartment. He had had a brain aneurysm while sleeping during a week of vacation from work, (which is why no one had missed him) and had felt nothing. Virginia was still listed as his emergency contact, so was phoned when his body was found. Ted continued to stare out the passenger window of the SUV being driven by Barney.

"Ted, just a couple more exits. Are we going straight to your mom's house?" Barney asked. Ted silently nodded. "Ted, you'll have to tell me the exact location."

Ted turned dead eyes to his friend, and wordlessly input his mother's address into the in dash GPS. He then sighed, and went back to looking out the window.

HIMYM

After the funeral, Clint and Ted's mom had held a luncheon at their home, honoring their friend. After everyone left, and had gone to hotels or home, Ted was sitting alone in the living room of the house he grew up in with a bottle of scotch in front of him, and glass in his right hand. He sighed, and took a sip. He heard soft foot steps entering the room, and Robin came and sat beside him. "Ted?"

"Yeah?"

"Penny and Luke are worried about you. They say you seem worse, more sad. What's going on? I mean besides the obvious. They say its been like this for a couple months." Robin looked worriedly at her friend.

Ted took another sip of his scotch, poured a glass for Robin, and started talking. "Yeah. It's getting harder to deal with. Ever since I started back teaching, I keep just thinking about her. I have trouble concentrating, and I only eat with the kids, to make sure they're eating."

"Oh, Ted. And now with your dad dying, it must make it so much worse…"

"You know what? I'm sad that he died, but we weren't really that close. His death is so much different than hers. With him, yeah, he was my dad, and raised me, but when your parents get into their 70s, you kind of expect to get that call. With Tracy, God, it felt like my heart was ripped into tiny pieces, with only two little pieces left for my kids. The biggest thing about my dad's death was hearing it on the anniversary of her death."

Robin sighed "Yeah, I can see that. I know I've been thinking about my mom and dad and that inevitable phone call."

With this, Ted laughed. "You're kidding? Your dad? that guys gonna live to be 100 and die fighting bear or something."

Robin laughed "Yeah, you're right. Probably a wolf instead though."

Ted stood up, and went to the window, looking out at the stars. "If it weren't for my kids, I don't think I would've made it. And now that I'm away more with my job, it's even harder. I can't keep going like this."

Robin got up to join him at the window, and held out an envelope to him. "You're ready for this now. See you tomorrow." With that she walked out the door, and to her rental car.

Ted's hands trembled as he saw the writing on the envelope. She had done it again. She had left him another letter.


	4. Chapter 4 - Unwell

**Chapter 4 - Unwell**

Ted sat on the small love seat in front of the window of his childhood home. He continued to stare at the slightly wrinkled envelope in his hands, scarcely believing it could be real. _How could she know?, _he wondered. _How could she know that I need her now more than ever? _His gaze lingered on his name, written in her flowing script on the envelope, debating. Finally, his need for her outweighed his fear of what the letter might say, and he carefully opened the envelope.

_Ted_

_Hi again. Bet you didn't expect this, did you? Well, as you know, I am full of surprises, even beyond the grave. If you have this letter in your hands, it means you have reached bottom. I left this letter with Robin, knowing it would be her that would confront you when you were at your lowest, probably spurred on by Penny and Luke. Ted, I know this is hard, and I can't imagine the pain that you are going through. But I do know you, my Teddy Bear. I know that you are probably holding on by the barest of threads, and you feel like your life has ended, but you are persevering for our kids. Its time, sweetie, to be a little selfish. I have arranged a couple of things for you. First , I have arranged for Lily, Marshall and Robin to take care of the kids for a month. Penny knows about this, as she helped ask her aunts and uncle to help. This is open ended, triggered only by your affirmative response to the rest of this letter. I have booked an open ended charter flight around the world. You can take it to see your favorite architecture sights, old and new. But only one month. Barney will be going with you to make sure you are ok. I know, you would just say you are fine and not to worry, but I do. The second thing is this. When you get home, you need to see a grief counselor. This is not an option. You need the help. I know you better than you know yourself, Teddy, so I know you need it. In the envelope, you will find the card of a very good counselor. She is the same woman I used when Max died. She will help guide you through. But you have to promise me to work hard, my love. I'm counting on you, Penny and Luke are counting on you, your friends and their kids are counting on you, and that future special someone is counting on you. I'm not going to harp on about this, but I know first hand how tough it is to move on. It took me 6 years to date again after Max. Don't rush things, but get better so you can have the life you deserve. I love you._

_Tracy_

Ted wiped the tears from his eyes, took the business card out of the envelope, replaced the letter in the envelope, gave it a kiss, and went up to bed.

**January 2027**

Ted sat staring out the window of the small jetliner that he had been on with Barney for the last month, visiting places like the Millau Viaduct in France, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia. If he was honest with himself, he had enjoyed seeing these great architectural feats, but was still missing his Tracy, and now missing his kids. He had talked to them every day, but it just wasn't the same as being there to hold them, tell them stories, or tuck them in at night. Barney was excited too, because he was missing Ellie, and he was glad to be done with architecture, which he found incredibly boring.

"Ted, I love ya, bro, but if I never see another bridge or skyscraper or church, I will die happy."

"Barney, you live on the Island of Manhattan. Which is full of skyscrapers and churches, and, since it's an island, is connected to a bunch of bridges," Ted smirked.

"Dammit, Ted. Logic not allowed."

They continued their good-natured bickering as they exited the plane and walked across the tarmac towards the terminal. After they had gone through customs, they went to the waiting area, where they were greeted with a rush of noise.

"DADDY!" three small voices proclaimed in unison. Penny and Luke rushed towards Ted, and Ellie tackled her father to the ground. Marshall, Lily, Robin and the other three cousins hung back and watched the scene unfold, laughing.

"Oh, I missed you guys so much," Ted said as he squeezed his kids tighter to him.

"Dad, we talked to you this morning," drawled 11 year old Penny.

Luke piped in before Ted could. "It's not the same, though, Pen. Now we can get hugs, and bedtime stories, and see him whenever we want."

Penny smiled at her little brother, "You're right, Luke. I did miss the hugs."

HIMYM

Later that night, after all the kids had been put down for the night, the adults gathered in the study to talk. They had all planned to stay the night this first night.

"So, what was your favorite part?", asked Robin

"Well, I liked the Tokyo Skytree," said Ted. "I liked the simple, yet elegant lines, and the multipurpose use of it."

"What about you, Barney? What was your favorite thing on the trip?"

"Yvette."

Lily slapped him on the arm at the same time as Robin on his other side, Marshall tried to look anywhere but at Barney, and Ted smirked into his scotch glass. They chit-chatted for a little longer, when Robin cleared her throat. Everyone turned to her, and she said, "Ted, we're all glad you're back, but I have to ask you. What about the second part of the letter? Are you gonna call tomorrow?"

Ted looked at Robin thoughtfully, and replied, "I feel so much better, though. I don't really think-"

"Ted, no. You are not backing out of this. You need this. Your kids need you back. We need you back,"Lily said with tears in her eyes.

He looked around at his little family, and knew there would be no getting away from this. He bowed his head in defeat, and promised to call tomorrow.

**6 months later**

Looking back, Ted knew that everyone had been right. He had needed this. He had never fully accepted that Tracy was gone, and had forgotten to live his own life. He was happy to be here for what would be his final appointment. Sharon had been a marvelous counselor, and though he had been skeptical and frankly downright rude in the beginning, they had developed a good rapport.

"Ted, come on in."

"Hey, Sharon, how are you today?"

"Good, good. Sit. Now Ted, today is a big day. You said you feel like this could be your last appointment here. What makes you sure you're ready?", Sharon asked, pen and clipboard in hand.

Ted took a moment to gather himself, looked to his new friend, and began to speak. "Sharon, when I came here six months ago, I was nearly gone. It had been just over two years since my wife's death, and I was not handling it well. I had huge reservations that this could ever work for me, but I can tell you, it has. I have finally accepted that Tracy is gone. I can say her name in casual conversation without crying. The other day, I even checked out a woman. Not that I am ready to date, far from it. But I never thought I would look at any woman in that way again. My kids are happier and more well adjusted now than they were six months ago. My twelve year old Penny told me the other day that she feels as if her dad is back. I will admit, I did cry at that. The most important thing though, Sharon, the thing that lets me know that I am going to be ok? I can smile again and not feel like I am betraying Tracy. Every time I would smile or laugh before I would feel a soul-crushing guilt, as if by letting a little bit of sunshine into my life I was spitting on Tracy's grave. But now, now I know. Now I know that it will be okay, that she isn't in pain anymore, and I don't have to be either. Not that I don't still feel the pain of her death, but it seems less. More manageable."

Sharon looked up at Ted and smiled. "One more question. Is it still okay to feel sad about Tracy sometimes?"

Ted grinned at Sharon and with conviction, replied, "Absolutely. As long as I don't live there."

Sharon put the clipboard down on the small table beside her chair, stood up, and held out her hand. Ted grabbed it, and then pulled Sharon in for a hug. It was because of this woman's patience and understanding that he was no longer living in the cell of his grief. Yes, he still grieved his beloved, and would always do so, and would still shed many a tear over her, but now he knew, he just knew that he was ready to be alive again, to be a real dad to his kids. And a true friend to the four other people who meant the world to him. He released the hug, and sat back down, as did Sharon.

"Ted, I am ready to let you go out and fight this fight on your own. Remember, it's okay to cry, it's okay to be mad, it's okay to grieve. Just don't become a prisoner to it. I'm always here if you feel you need to talk again." With that, Sharon walked Ted out into the waiting room, and into the rest of his life.

HIMYM

Later that night, Ted found himself alone with the yellow umbrella again, crying. He knew he shouldn't have picked up the umbrella, but it looked so alone in the corner, and he felt so alone without her. As he finished crying, he wiped his eyes, and looked at the umbrella. It was just an umbrella again. It didn't hold the spirit of his dead wife, anymore than the lamp or the chair. It was just a symbol. He put the umbrella back in the corner where it belonged, feeling as if a small weight had lifted. He still had more weights to deal with, but the umbrella would not hold any power over him anymore. He turned out the lights, looked at the umbrella once more, and smiled. _I'm getting there, my love… I'm getting there._


	5. Chapter 5 - Ready, Set, Go!

**Chapter 5 - Ready, Set, Go!**

**Winter 2027**

It was an unusually warm day for December. Ted pulled into the driveway of his home and stepped out of the car, breathing in the fresh air and smiling to himself. It had been a great day all around. He had only had one class today, so instead of catching up on work like he normally did on Fridays, he decided to come home and enjoy the weather, because he knew it could change in the blink of an eye. He smiled again and started walking towards the house. He was fishing his keys out of his pocket when he heard noises coming from inside the house. He thought this strange because the kids would still be at school. He was even further perplexed when he noticed that the door was unlocked. He slowly opened the door, and heard what sounded like muffled crying coming from the study. He walked in to see Robin, crying softly, curled on a ball on his couch.

"Robin? Are you ok?"

"Oh! Ted, I thought you wouldn't be here until after 3. What are you doing here?", she asked, as she attempted to regain her composure.

"Well, I live here. The real question is why are you sitting on my couch, in the middle of the day, crying?"

Robin turned red rimmed eyes to Ted and started to cry in earnest again. Ted put his arm around her and let her cry, something he had done countless times before. When she finally stopped, she looked up at Ted again and began to speak. "Well, I talked to my bosses at WWN and asked to be assigned to an anchor position with little to no travel. I'm ready to be done with that lifestyle. I just want to be able to relax. I'm almost 50, so I figured it was a good time to slow down. They completely understood, and I am now hosting the WWN Nightly News at 7 pm."

"Well, that's awesome! Penny and Luke will be thrilled to have Aunt Robin around more! The question remains… why the tears?"

Robin blew her nose, and continued. "Well, you know that Eddie and I have been seeing each other for years off and on. Well, about a year ago, when we started up again, Eddie wanted me to settle down and begin a real relationship. I told him to give me some time, but I would be ready soon. He kept bringing it up, nicely, but he kept bringing it up. So after I had everything squared away at work, I rushed over to his apartment to tell him the good news, because I knew he had today off. So I walk in, and I hear noises coming from his bedroom-"

"Oh, no…"

"Ohhhh, yeah. I walk in and he is doin' the dirty with some blonde bimbo. She screams, Eddie jumps, I start yelling. It's just a mess. It turns out he has been seeing us both for the last six months. So, I dumped him on the spot."

"Robin, I am so sorry. What an ass."

"Yeah, he is. Anyway, I left, and tried Lily first, but she wasn't there, and then I called Barney, but he was busy with a school field trip with Ellie, so I didn't have anywhere else to go. I really thought we could make something work." And with that, she began to cry again.

Ted put his arm around her once more, and let her finish crying, while he discretely texted the group to come to his house tonight for dinner.

HIMYM

That night's dinner was quite the shindig, with all the friends and their various kids dining on a feast of pizza from Lucio's. Robin had quickly told the story to the other adults who had commiserated with her on Eddie's foolishness. After they were done eating, they all went home, save Robin who stayed to help with clean up. "Ted, where do you want the boxes?"

"Just put them off to the side of the door. I need to take out the garbage anyway," Ted shouted from the bathroom. He came out to find the kitchen nearly clean. "Wow, thanks Robin. You saved me a ton of work." He smiled. "Well, it's getting pretty late. Do you just want to stay in the guest room?"

Robin looked at the concern and open friendliness on Ted's face, and felt something stir that she hadn't felt in a long, long time. It frightened her to the bone. "No, that's ok. I just kinda want to be in my own bed tonight."

"Okay. Do you need me to call you a cab?"

"No, I'm going to walk to the train. It's only a few blocks. Thanks, Ted, for everything. It was a great night." She hugged him quickly and left. As she walked, she began to think about what had just happened. _What the hell, self. You haven't felt like that about Ted in years. Wait… I get it. You're still feeling vulnerable and helpless after all that crap with Eddie, and since Ted was there you were just transferring those feelings. Yeah, that's it. _She hugged her coat around her as the wind grew colder. _That has to be it. Yup. Not gonna fall for that trap again, no sir. _As she boarded the train, she wondered just how long she would be able to lie to herself.

**April 2028**

Ted was frantically searching his bedroom for his keys, as they were well past time to be getting on the road to Farhampton. He still felt nervous about going there, as he had not been back since just before Tracy had died. He would never step foot in the inn again, so he and his friends had rented a large vacation home instead. "Penny, Luke, have you seen my keys?"

"No, Dad, hurry up and find them. We're missing the fun!" Luke yelled up the stairs.

Ted then noticed his keys sticking out of the pocket of the jeans he had worn yesterday, grabbed them and ushered his kids to the car. "Next stop, Farhampton!"

HIMYM

Almost three hours later, Ted pulled into the driveway of the vacation home. The beachfront, 6 bedroom home was huge and awe inspiring. Ted got the bags out of the back of the car and hurried his kids inside so they could begin their vacation. "We're here!"

The other kids came running into the room followed by their parents. "What took you so long?" Lily asked.

"Lost my keys."

"Let me guess. They were in your pants pocket from yesterday, right?" smirked Robin as she hugged Penny and Luke.

"How did you know?"

"Ted, since I've known you, every time you've lost your keys, they've been in the pocket of your previous days pants. Every single time"

Marshall chimed in "Yeah, even when we were in college, that's where they would be. It was especially hard to find them after we had eaten a couple sandwiches."

"Why would sandwiches make it difficult to find something, Dad?" asked 16-year-old Marvin.

Marshall panicked and looked to Lily for help. "Well, your father, Uncle Ted and I used to eat these really big sandwiches, and afterwards, we'd be really tired… because we were so full." She hurriedly said. The adults all looked at each other with various looks of relief as the kids dropped the subject.

HIMYM

Lily, Marshall, and Ted were all turning 50 that year, so they had decided to celebrate together while on their vacation. They got a large cake and were enjoyed themselves immensely. After the kids were in bed and they were all enjoying a drink, there was a knock at the door. Barney ran to the door, could be heard quietly talking to someone, and then rushed back into the room. "Everyone, I've been waiting to do this, but I couldn't wait anymore. I've got an announcement to make. I'm getting married." The only sound in the room was the shattering of Lily's glass as she had dropped it in her shock. "I know this is shocking news to you, but I've been with her now for over a year. I thought, since we are all together this weekend, it would be the perfect time to tell you."

The group's looks of shock then extended to Robin, as she sipped at her scotch.

"What? Barney already told me."

"I told Robin first, because I didn't want it to be weird. So guys, don't make it weird!"

Ted spoke first. "Barney, this is great. I never thought you would settle down again. Has she met Ellie?"

"Met her, loves her. She also has a kid, his name is Ben. Do you guys want to meet her? She's right outside. That was the knocking a few minutes ago."

"We figured that much out, Barney," said Lily. "Go get her."

Barney went out to the door, and came back with a very familiar face.

"QUINN?"

A/N Yes, Barney and Quinn are back together. And in my universe, they are gonna make it. I am setting things up to be able to write a companion piece to this story about Barney, If I have the time and inclination to do so. As for Robin and Ted, this is just the beginning twinges of what we see in the finale. It will ramp up a bit in the next chapter, and the chapter after that is when things will explode. Thanks for reading and Review!


	6. Chapter 6 - The Beginning

**Chapter 6 - The Beginning**

The group stared open mouthed at the woman who had just walked in. Robin, however, still looked completely unfazed. Lily was the first to speak. "Wow. I'm just… wow."

"I know, right. I knew you guys would be totally shocked. The looks on all your faces, so worth it." Barney high fived his fiancee.

"Wait, but didn't you guys break up before because you couldn't trust each other?"

Quinn replied, "Yes, but that was 16 years ago. We've both changed a ton. Kids do that."

They sat down at the table as Ted asked "Well? What's the story?"

Barney laughed, "Please." Quinn lightly elbowed him. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you. It was May 13th, last year. Ellie really wanted to go to the park…"

**Flashback - May 2027**

Barney and his rambunctious daughter Ellie walked into the enclosed play park two blocks from their apartment. Ellie immediately ran to the playground as Barney took a seat on the nearest bench and smiled as he watched Ellie run free on the playground. He waved to some of the other parents who frequented the playground and then paused in shock as he laid eyes on someone he hadn't seen in years. "Quinn?"

"Barney? Oh my god. What are you doing here"

"I brought my daughter to play. What about you?"

"I'm here with my son. We just moved in a couple of blocks over. I can't believe you have a daughter!"

"I can't believe you have a son!", Barney exclaimed. "When did that happen?"

"5 years ago. His birthday was last month. His father and I were dating when I got pregnant. He got scared, signed over his rights, and we've been on our own since."

"I'm sorry. What a jerk."

"I was upset at first, but truthfully it's been pretty good. I'd much rather be a single mom than deal with an idiot who doesn't want anything to do with him. And I make more than enough to support the both of us."

Barney looked sheepish as he asked his next question. "So, then, are you still…?"

Quinn smiled at his obvious avoidance of her previous career. "No, I have that up ten years ago. Got a job managing a restaurant, and after a couple of years, I bought the place. Hired a great staff, and only need to peek in a couple of times a week. I also have some stocks and small investments, so I get to be a full time mom."

Barney couldn't hide the look of astonishment from his face. "Wow, that is so great." He waved at Ellie as she climbed to the top of the slide.

"So, what's your story? You and Robin have a kid?"

"Umm, no actually. Robin and I divorced 11 years ago. Ellie is the product of a one night stand. After our marriage fell apart, I slipped back into the old Barney, and started sleeping around again. But once I had Ellie, I stopped all that, took custody of her because her mom is too busy. and I've just been busy being a dad since then." Barney was startled as Ellie flew into his lap, just as a little blur attached himself to Quinn's leg. "Ha, well, speak of the devil. Ellie, this is my old friend Quinn. Quinn, this is my beautiful daughter Ellie."

Quinn laughed as Ellie extended her little hand. "Hi, Ellie, it's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Quinn. Who is that little boy with the dirty face hanging on your leg?" Ellie inquired with the straightforwardness she had inherited from her father.

Quinn laughed again as Barney shook his head. "This dirty little boy is my son, Ben. Ben, this is my friend Barney and his daughter Ellie. Be nice and say hi." 

Little Ben peeked out from behind his mothers leg long enough to squeak out a barely audible "Hi."

Barney looked at his watch, and noticed that it had somehow gotten to be dinner time. "Oh, man, Ellie. We have to go. It's about dinner time. Where do you wanna go tonight?"

"I want pasta."

Barney looked apologetically at Quinn, and said, "I wish we had more time to catch up. I have to keep her on a schedule, or she gets a little wild."

Ellie piped in again. "I want Quinn and Ben to come too."

Barney looked aghast at his daughter, turned to Quinn to apologize, but she cut him off.

"Actually, Ben and I are free. And I know this dynamite Italian place over near 40th and Lexington. My treat."

Barney smiled at Quinn, put Ellie on his shoulder, and motioned for Quinn to take the lead.

**End Flashback**

"So we went to dinner, talked, then we walked her and Ben home, I called her the next day, and we've been together ever since." Barney pulled Quinn in closer, and gave her a quick kiss.

Ted spoke first, "Well, I have to say, even though I'm in shock, and may believe this is all part of a dream, congratulations guys."

The rest of the gang gave their good wishes as well, and they all talked until the wee hours of the morning, welcoming Quinn back into their little circle.

**September 2028**

Ted walked into the small Staten Island church that Barney and Quinn had decided on for their vows, and quickly ushered Penny and Luke to the seats occupied by Robin, Marshall, and the rest of the kids. "You two behave for Uncle Marshall and Aunt Robin. No acting bored or making faces. This is a special day." He smirked as 11 year old Luke rolled his eyes, and 13 year old Penny gave him the impatient look of indulgence that mirrored her mother's so well.

"Dad, go be with Uncle Barney. We're good," she said, still staring a hole into the middle of his forehead.

He nearly laughed at how much his daughter was like Tracy, considering it had been four years since she had passed and hadn't been able to influence their daughter's attitude since then. He then sighed as he thought of Tracy and how much she would have enjoyed being here for this. And how much she would have loved to be able to make fun of Barney on his wedding day. He wiped a stray tear from his eye and made his way to the room that held Barney. "Barney, I'm coming in. So if you are trying to make a break for it, you better do it before I get in there." He slowly opened the door, praying that Barney hadn't really run off, and was surprised at what he found. Barney sat silently on a small couch towards the back of the room, looking up when Ted entered the room, and smiled.

"C'mon, Ted. This is the new me we're talking about. Besides, the windows don't open wide enough, I already checked." He laughed at the look of horror on Ted's face. "Ted, seriously, I'm kidding. I'm ready for this. I'm 52 years old and I have a 7 year old daughter. I'm finally grown up. It's time to begin a new chapter."

Ted smiled at his friend of 27 years, and nodded. "It is, buddy. It is."

HIMYM

It had been a beautiful ceremony. Quinn and Barney looked truly happy. Ted, Robin, Marshall, and Lily sat at a table with the kids, watching the newly married couple dancing with their children. Ted looked over at Robin, noticing she looked a bit wistful, nudged her to get her attention. "You okay?"

Robin turned her head to him and smiled a small, sad smile. "Yeah. It's just a little surreal that out of our marriage and divorce, who would have thought that Barney would be the first to settle down again."

Ted smiled back at her, "Yeah, I guess that part is a bit weird. But you've been working so hard on your career, it's no wonder. Now that you've slowed down though, They'll be lined up around the block."

Robin laughed at this. "Oh, Teddy. You are still quite the romantic."

"Well, I guess some things just never change."

As Robin was about to reply, James Stinson came up and asked her to dance, as they had opened up the floor to everyone, and he wanted to catch up with his ex-sister-in-law. Ted watched as they talked and laughed their way across the dance floor. He watched as the light hit Robin's eyes, making the blue shine, and how, even at 48 she was still so beaut- _Oh, no. Do not go there Mosby. You have your kids to think about, and there is no way you are ready for this. _Ted took a deep breath, calmed himself, and looked up, straight into Robin's eyes. _Oh, crap._

A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers. You are what keeps me going. Just as the chapter's name says, this is just the beginning. Trust me, its still a little ways until the finale moment, but we are on track.


	7. Chapter 7 - So close, yet so far

**Chapter 7 - So close, yet so far**

**March 2029**

Penny Mosby took another quick look in her mirror before she headed downstairs. Her dad and brother were waiting for her so they could go out to dinner. But she had to look her best because the restaurant they were going to was owned by HIS family. He was Peter Jacobs. The ultimate catch at Pleasantville Middle School. She had had a crush on him since 5th grade, but was now determined to make him notice her. She bounded down the stairs towards her waiting family, and noticed that there was someone there she hadn't expected. "Aunt Robin? What are you doing here?"

Robin smiled at her niece. "Well, I decided to surprise you guys and come take you to dinner, but it seems like you were already going out. You kids mind if I tag along?"

Penny was conflicted. She loved her aunt and loved every moment they spent together, because unlike her father's stories, Aunt Robin's were always entertaining. On the other hand, with her beautiful, famous aunt at dinner, there was no way Peter would notice her.

Robin looked at Penny, and they began one of their telepathic conversations. _What's wrong, Pen?_

_You picked the absolute worst night for a surprise, Aunt Robin._

_Why? I thought you loved it when I - Ohhh. It's his family's restaurant we're going to, isn't it?_

_Yes. And there is no way he will notice me with you there!_

_Leave it to me, Penny. I'll help you out. Trust me. I played wingman for your dad and Uncle Barney a lot. _

_Fine. But if it doesn't work out, you owe me. _

_Mani/pedi's at Mrs. Woo's and 5th avenue shopping?_

_Deal._

Ted looked between his friend and daughter, completely bewildered at what had just happened. "Everything okay?"

"Fine, Dad, let's just go," Penny sighed as she led the way to the car.

HIMYM

As they sat down in the booth they were directed to, Ted could not help but notice that there was something different about Penny. He continued to stare at her as someone came up to the table. "Hi, my name is Peter. I'll be serving your drinks tonight. We have Coke products, iced tea, coffee, lemonade. What will you have?"

Ted noticed that his daughters cheeks began to flush when the boy started speaking. _Oh, no. No, no, no, no. _"I'll have a Coke please," he said when Peter's gaze fell on him. The young busboy finished taking their drink orders, and hurried to fill them. Ted stared hard at his daughter, who finally met his gaze. "Penny? What's going on?"

"Nothing, Dad. Just leave it alone," she said as she dipped her head to keep him from seeing her blush again.

Ted was about to speak again when he received a sharp kick in the shin from Robin. _Be cool, Ted._

_But, she's way too young to think of boys that way._

_No, she's not. Girls mature faster than boys. _

_So? He has a job, he's got to be like, 16 or 17. Too old for her!_

_Ted, his family owns the restaurant. He helps serve the drinks. Pull your head out of your ass._

_My head is not in my ass, Robin. I can't deal with this. This was supposed to be Tracy's area._

_I know. That's why Penny came to me about this like, six months ago, and not you. She knew you would just freak out. Trust me, Ted. It's going to be ok. I've got this._

_But, but-_

_No buts! Trust me. Please._

_Fine. But we are so talking about this later._

_Fine._

Ted sighed and picked up his menu. He was getting too old for this stuff.

HIMYM

It had been a successful outing, with Penny getting up the courage to talk to Peter alone. Ted had nearly blown a blood vessel, but Robin had talked him down, and now they were enjoying a nice glass of wine as Luke played video games and Penny locked herself in her room with the phone. "I still don't like it."

Robin smirked at Ted. "Oh, Ted. You knew this would happen someday. It's her first crush. Let her be."

"I guess I still have that idealized vision of a little girl in my head. The little girl who would listen to me talk about architecture and actually show interest. But now she's 13 going on 14. How did time go so fast?"

"In all fairness, Ted, you've had a rough few years. You were pretty broken there for a while. It took every ounce of strength you had just to function, let alone note the passage of time."

Ted sighed, and looked at his friend. "Robin, what would I do without you? Besides that first six months, you've always been here. You help me with the kids, you buck me up when I'm sad about Tracy. You have literally become my best friend."

Robin smiled, "You're my best friend, too, Ted. Don't you forget that." She laid her head on his shoulder and they watched as Luke blew up yet another zombie.

**July 2029**

Robin put her key in the lock of the Mosby house, and walked into chaos.

"Dad, where is my swimsuit?"

"Did you check the laundry room?"

"Yes. It's not there."

"Did you really check, or just glance at the clothes and decide it wasn't there?"

"It's not there!"

Ted grumbled to himself as he walked to the basement door to search for his daughters swimsuit. He was so preoccupied that he nearly ran Robin over. "Oh, god, Robin, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there. When did you get here?" Ted spewed out as he continued his trek down into the basement, not waiting for an answer.

Robin smiled to herself as she watched Ted descend the stairs into the basement. _He's so cute when he's flustered. _Robin covered her mouth in horror. _Stop that, brain. You are not allowed to think those thoughts. _

_I'll think whatever I want, and I think Ted's cute._

_Knock it off!_

_NO!_

_Yes!_

"Penny, I have your suit." Ted's shout disrupted her train of thought.

"Awesome. Where was it?"

"In the laundry room. It took me all of two seconds to find it."

"What can I say, Dad. You're better than I am!"

"Just come and get it so we can get going!", he said exasperatedly. "I'm sorry, Robin, we're almost ready, I promise… Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Robin composed herself, and smiled. "Just fine, Ted. What's the hold up?"

"Everything. Luke hadn't packed a single thing, so I had to help with that, and Penny is trying to pack everything, so I'm trying to convince her that she doesn't need her entire wardrobe for one week in California. And you just saw the thing with the suit," he finished as Penny snagged the aforementioned swimsuit out of his hand and ran back upstairs.

"I got this," Robin said. "IF YOU TWO AREN'T READY IN TEN MINUTES, YOUR FATHER AND I ARE GOING TO CALIFORNIA BY OURSELVES WITH YOUR AUNTS, UNCLES AND COUSINS. I'LL HIRE A BABYSITTER, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

As if by magic, Luke and Penny were standing in the foyer in less than three minutes. Ted looked at Robin in awe. "Wow. I've never seen them get ready for anything that fast. Thanks," he said as he smiled his crooked smile at her.

She felt her heart skip a beat at this, and in order to cover the flush rising in her cheeks, she marched out the front door and into the car.

HIMYM

The next day, they were all enjoying a beautiful day in La Jolla Shores in San Diego. They had decided that a beach vacation would be a good fit this year, as they had experienced a very long winter in New York. Marshall and Lily were seated comfortably together on beach chairs, Barney was laughing as Ben and Ellie tackled Quinn into the ocean, and Ted watched as Luke played in the waves with Daisy and Little Ted. Marvin had elected to stay at the house and relax. Ted looked around again. "Hey guys, have you seen-" He was stopped in mid sentence by the appearance of the person he was about whom he was about to inquire. Robin stepped off the last step onto the beach, and all the air left Ted's body. _Oh, crap. Not again. Suck it up Mosby. Think of Penny and Luke. You're not ready._

_But she's so hot!_

_Shut up, brain. _

_No! I'll think what I want and you can't stop me!_

_Yes I can!_

_No you can't!_

_Yes I - _his inner argument was interrupted by a vigorous shake of his shoulder. "Ted, buddy, you ok?", Barney asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, sorry. Just kinda went out of focus there for a bit."

Robin laid on a chair next to Lily and started a conversation with her. Ted continued to fight an inner war with himself as he also continued to sneak glances at Robin. He had to get up and go. He had to cool off. He had to work this out of his system. "Guys, I'm gonna go for a walk. Can you keep an eye on my kids?" His friends answered in the affirmative as he walked up the stairs towards the beach house, grabbed some shoes, and went for a walk down Spindrift Drive. He heard footsteps closing in on him, and turned to see Marshall jogging to catch up to him. "Ted, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just needed to go for a walk. Stretch my legs."

Marshall just chuckled to himself silently. "Ted, how long have we been friends?"

"Something like 32 years."

"And in all that time, have you ever been able to successfully lie to me?"

"Only once."

"The fish list?"

"Yup."

"I still say you were wrong about that, but we'll come back to that later. Ted, what's bothering you?" Marshall pulled Ted down to the curb.

Ted looked at the ground. "I noticed Robin."

"I would hope so. She's here with us. I noticed her - Ohhhh. Like you NOTICED her."

"Yeah. It actually started last September at Barney and Quinn's wedding. I just started to have these little twinges. I put them aside for the good of my kids and I just was not ready to think of anyone in any way near that. She's been spending a lot of time with me and the kids lately, and I've been having trouble shoving the feelings away. I just - I don't know what to do."

Marshall looked up at the bright blue sky with a smile. "That does sound confusing."

"Why are you smiling, then?"

Marshall turned to him and said, "Buddy, you're healing. And that makes me happy. I never thought you would be okay. Especially after your dad died. It just makes me so happy that you are finally coming back."

"I'm not there yet, Marshall. Not by a long shot."

"But you will be. And that gives me hope. You know what you have to do, don't you?"

"What?"

"You have to talk to her."

"I cannot talk to Robin about this - no way."

"Not her, not yet anyway. I agree, you're not quite there yet," and then Marshall pointed to the sky, "I meant HER."

A/N: I have made a decision. I love this story too much to end it at the finale, so I am going to carry it on. Keep the reviews coming. You are the best!


	8. Chapter 8 - Forward

**Chapter 8 - Forward**

**November 2029**

Despite his talk with Marshall four months prior, Ted still had not given much more thought to the burgeoning feelings he was having toward Robin. The memory of Tracy weighed heavily in his heart, and each day was a constant struggle between holding on or moving forward. Fate, however, intervened during a rather brisk fall day when Robin had come over for dinner. "Anybody want anything while I'm up?"

Robin shook her head, and Penny and Luke answered in the negative as well. Ted entered the kitchen, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and just as he was about to exit, slipped on a small wet spot on the floor, fell against the island, and was out cold.

**One week later**

Ted slowly opened his eyes to a very bright light. _Is this it? Did I die?_ The notion of his untimely death was spoiled almost immediately by Barney's face hovering mere inches above his. "Gahhhhoooowww! Barney, what the hell?"

There was a commotion at the door as 11 other people crammed into the room. "Dad!" came the relieved shout of his kids as they wrapped their arms around him.

"Excuse me, I need everyone out of here while I examine my patient!" shouted an unfamiliar voice. "Please, you can all come back in a few minutes."

Ted's mind was a complete whirlwind. All he knew is that he seemed to be in a hospital, his friends were there, and the back of his head hurt like hell. "Excuse me, Doctor, what is going on?"

"Well, Mr. Mosby, you gave us quite a scare is what's going on. I need to ask you a few questions, and then I will tell you what's been happening, all right. First off, my name is Dr. Heren. I'm on staff here at Westchester Medical Center. How are you feeling?"

"My head is killing me."

"What is the last thing you remember before waking up?"

"Getting a beer out of my fridge."

"Very good. Well, Mr. Mosby, as far as we can tell from what your children and friend Robin tell us, you were eating dinner, got up to go to the kitchen, they heard the refrigerator door open and shut, and then you scream out in pain and the beer bottle falling to the floor. You were found laying on the kitchen floor with a laceration to the back of your head and you were unconscious. Now, this part is going to come as a bit of a shock to you, but this was one week ago."

"A week?!"

"Yes sir. You were brought by ambulance here, where you were found to have a one and a half inch laceration to the back of your head, a hairline fracture in your skull, and a possible concussion. You were bleeding very heavily. We were able to stop the bleeding, and stitch you up, but you are going to be sore for a few more weeks. The good news is, you seem to recall the events right before you sustained your injury, which bodes well for your short term memory, but I need to test a few other things before I let everyone back in."

"Go ahead"

"Your full name please?"

"Theodore Evelyn Mosby."

Dr. Heren paused, and looked between Ted and the chart in front of him. "Evelyn?"

"Don't ask."

"Okay… Your date of birth?"

"April 25, 1978."

"Your children's names?"

"Penny and Luke."

"Well, all in all, it seems like you are doing very well, Mr. Mosby, and we'll get another CT to check things out, but if that reads well, I don't see any reason why you can't get out tomorrow. Now, would you like me to let everyone back in?"

"Actually, Doc, can you give me a few minutes? This is a lot to process."

"Absolutely, Mr. Mosby. Take your time."

The doctor left the room, and Ted sat there stunned for at least two minutes. How had he missed a whole week? Penny and Luke must have been worried sick. Especially after already losing their mom. Ted blinked away the tears threatening to spill out of his eyes and looked out of the window of his room to the waiting group of friends, and motioned for them to come in. His kids immediately latched on to either side of him, as everyone else followed, smiling.

"Hey buddy, welcome back," Marshall grinned. "We were worried about you."

Ted smiled back at his best friend, "Well considering I didn't even know I was out for a week, thanks. The last thing I remember is grabbing a beer out of the fridge." He looked at his two kids next to him, both of whom looked much better than they had when he had first seen them. "You guys ok?"

Penny looked up at him with red rimmed eyes, "We are now." Luke nodded his ascent to Penny's words.

Ted clutched them a little tighter. "So, who took care of you while I was out?"

"I did." Ted looked at Robin as she continued speaking. "I took time off of work and made sure they got to school and everything." She began to cry. "The house is clean, and I had someone come and do the yard work, because I know you were going to get around to it this past week." She couldn't say anymore, as she had begun to cry even harder.

Ted lifted his arms off of his children and opened them to Robin, who welcomed the embrace. "I'm ok."

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Ted. Never."

Ted hugged her again, and she released him. He was hugged by all his friends and their children, who were all thankful to have Uncle Ted back. As everyone began to fall into an easy talking pattern, Ted got Marshall's attention. "Marshall, it's time."

"Time?"

"When I get out of here, I need to go talk to Tracy."

Marshall nodded his understanding and smiled as Ted looked at Robin with a look Marshall had seen many times before.

**April 2030**

Despite his proclamation at the hospital, Ted had not done what he had promised. He let life fall into a routine again, with he and Robin tiptoeing around each other. The rest of their friends were all in on what the two of them denied, the fact that they had started to fall for each other again. Things came to a head late in April of 2030. Marshall and Lily were visiting Ted, and Robin was in Washington, D.C. attending the White House Correspondents Dinner. They fell into the same easy pattern of conversation that they always had, when Marshall leaned forward so as to talk in lower tones. "Did you do it yet?"

Ted looked down at the floor. "No."

Before Marshall could say another word, Lily smacked Ted upsided the head. "Dammit, Ted."

"Ow, Lily. That hurt! And what the hell, Marshall? You told Lily?"

"Only about that part. The falling for Robin part everyone can see."

"Wait, what do you mean everyone can see?" Ted exclaimed.

"Because we aren't blind Ted. not like you and Robin apparently are," said Lily.

"I'm not blind. I'm just… scared." He looked at his oldest friends with tears in his eyes. "I'm scared that if I admit that these are real feelings, then does that just completely erase my past with Tracy? She was the love of my life. I don't want to erase her." He wiped his eyes and looked imploringly at both Marshall and Lily. "Can you guys understand that?"

Marshall smiled sadly, "Yeah, we can. But Ted, that's why you need to talk to her. You remember what the letter said, that you should move on when you were ready. But maybe you just need to talk it out. With her."

HIMYM

So that's how Ted found himself sitting on the ground in the wooded cemetery, next to Tracy's grave once more. "Hi baby. I miss you. So much. Marshall said I should come talk to you. I think I might be ready. I've been feeling more and more like the old me every day. And with that comes my old romantic side. I just need to know that you are ok with this. So, I guess I just need a sign. It doesn't have to be neon or flashing, but just so I know that you know that no one could ever replace you, and that no one, no matter how great, could be my 'one' but you."He sat silently, staring at her grave, when he heard footsteps behind him. He looked around to see Barney coming towards him. "Barney, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Ted, I came here for two reasons. First, Marshall and Lily told me you were here, and I wanted to make sure you were ok. Second, I came to give you this." Barney reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a set of three white envelopes. He handed them to Ted, gave him a hug, and left. He looked down at the envelopes in his hand. The one on top said _READ FIRST BEFORE LOOKING AT OTHER ENVELOPES._ He smiled and opened the letter.

_Pooh bear,_

_ The time has come, just as I knew it would. You've found someone. If I know you, you've been hemming and hawing about this for months, and are finally ready to do something about it. Well, it's about damn time! Just kidding. I thank you, Ted, for grieving me. However long it took, I know that you were in it with your whole heart. I hope the grief counseling was helpful in getting you here. _

_ I want you to know, here and now, that I fully support this. I told you in my first letter that this would happen, and I'm so happy that it has. Remember, we aren't just given one chance at happiness in this life. You were my second chance. But you were also my one. You are the love of my life. But my life is over. It's time to live, Ted Mosby. _

_And also, if I know you, this woman, whoever she is, is no fling. You're ready to settle down. Now, as for the two other letters. I had to write two letters for two possible outcomes to your journey. Both are addressed to your future mate. One is addressed generally. The other… is to Robin. If its the first letter you have to give, then I have guessed wrong, or things didn't progress the way I thought they might. Which is fine. However, if it is the second letter, let me clear your conscience. I know I am not second place. I know I am not just someone you married because you couldn't have Robin. But I do know you. I know that Robin has always been in your life, one way or another, and if she is still single, that it is likely, especially given her closeness with me and the kids, that the two of you have gotten close again. Let me tell you, you couldn't pick better, Teddy. Robin is an amazing woman, and has grown so much in just the short ten years I have known her, that I know she will make you happy. _

_In conclusion, this is the last letter you will be receiving from me. It's time, pooh bear, to live in the moment, to move forward. Be free and happy, my love. Because I am._

_Tracy_

_P.S. Go big!_

Ted smiled, wiped away his tears, chuckled, and kissed her headstone. "That was one hell of a sign, Mrs. Mosby."

**June 2030**

"Guys, come into my study, please." Ted was beyond nervous, but it was now time to talk to his kids. He had thought for over a month about what he was going to say, and was finally ready. Penny and Luke, both with looks of apprehension on their faces, sat on the couch across from their fathers desk. "Kids, I'm gonna tell you an incredible story, the story of how I met your mother…"


	9. Chapter 9 - What Now?

A/N: Sorry this took so long. We are actually now nearing the end. I have the final three chapters laid out, and will be posting them by the end of the week.

**Chapter 9 - What now?**

**June 2030**

Robin looked down at Ted, tears running down her cheeks, smiling. _Finally. _She closed her window, ran out of her apartment and down the stairs, and flung herself into Ted's arms. She laughed through her tears as she kissed this man that she had loved for so long, both as a friend and as a lover, and a thrill ran through her at the thought of what the future held. "Come upstairs. I know you can't stay, but we need to talk."

Ted followed her up the stairs and into her apartment. He then followed her lead and sat on the couch. "Before we talk, I have something for you." he reached into his jacket, and pulled out a white envelope. With a crooked smile, he handed it to her.

"Is this from -" Robin's voice caught in her throat.

"Yeah."

With trembling hands, Robin opened Tracy's letter…

_Robin,_

_Hi. Bet you weren't expecting this. The first thing I want to tell you, before I get into the meat of this letter, is this. Thank you so much for being my friend. No, more than that, thank you for being like a sister to me. I have loved getting to know you and spending time with you. You have made me laugh almost as much as Ted has these last four years. I have been so thankful to have you in our lives. _

_Now that I have the mushy stuff out of the way, let's get right to it. My pooh bear is ready to love again. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. And the fact that he has chosen you is just the icing on the cake. I know the two of you have probably been feeling this way for some time, but you would never have acted on it, and have been waiting patiently for Ted to act. Well, he has acted. If he has acted foolishly, please let him down gently. If he is right on the money, I here and now give you my full blessing to pursue happiness with him. Both of you deserve it. _

_Robin, I do not want you to feel guilty, I had two chances at happiness, and now Ted does too. I love you both. Take care of him, and see you on the other side. _

_Love,_

_Tracy_

Robin wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked up at Ted, who looked at her with expectation. "Ted, you married a good woman."

"I did. You ok?"

"Yeah. That was honestly my biggest worry. What would she think? And now that I know how she feels, I'm ready for this. I'm ready for you." And she kissed him again.

**December 2030**

Robin glanced at her phone to check the time. She had gotten to the restaurant early, and was anxiously awaiting Ted's arrival. She had big news to share, and was nervously tapping her heel, waiting.

Ted walked in and looked at Robin, smiling. He came up behind her and kissed her gently on top of the head. "Hey, beautiful."

Robin looked around and smiled, then stood up and kissed him properly. "Hey yourself. Let's eat, I'm starving." They both ordered and as they were sipping their wine, Robin cleared her throat. "I have some big news, Ted."

"Please tell me you aren't going on assignment again. I was worried sick last time."

She smiled, "No, nothing like that. Actually, I walked in and handed them my resignation today."

The look of pure shock that shone on Ted's face was something that Robin would cherish for many years. "You did what?"

"I resigned."

"Not that I don't support whatever decisions you make about your career, but why?", Ted asked.

"Well, I'm 50 years old, Ted. I've been a journalist for 28 years. I've traveled the world many times over. Now, I want to explore something new. And to that end, I have a second announcement." Ted motioned for her to continue, clearly at a loss for words. "I've been recruited to be Vice President of Marketing for American Airlines. Based here at the JFK hub. And, I've accepted."

Ted's smile could have lit a thousand miles of runway. "Oh, Robin. That's so awesome. That means…"

"It means I'll be here full time. Even more than when I moved to the anchor desk. And if I do have to travel, it won't be to a war zone or anything like that." Her smile matched his own. Their food was delivered, and both ate in peace, happy with the news Robin had shared.

**Christmas 2030**

It had been two weeks since their dinner, and now it was a bright, snowy Christmas morning. Penny and Luke had already torn through all their gifts, and were now in their bedrooms, putting them away. Ted sipped at his coffee and looked out the front window at the snow covered lawn, smiling as he saw the cab pull up to the curb. He put down the coffee cup, and went to the front door, opening it before Robin could. "Good morning," he greeted with a kiss. "Looks like you have your hands full there."

"I may, or may not, have gone a bit overboard this year. I'm excited to see everyone in one place. It's been awhile since the whole gang has been together."

"Well, you aren't alone." Ted helped her in and motioned to the Christmas tree in the corner, which despite his children's presents already having been opened, was burgeoning with gifts.

Robin laughed and hugged him. "Two peas in a pod, Mosby. Further proof that we belong together," she kissed him again. As she was about to pull away, she felt Ted hold on to her hand.

Ted smiled as she looked at him curiously. "Speaking of that, how about a little more proof?" Robin gasped as Ted got down to one knee. He held out a small box, which contained a ring with three stones in it, one diamond surrounded by two blue sapphires. "Robin Scherbatsky, I can't wait for this any longer. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Tears filled Robin's eyes as she uttered the word that would change both of their lives forever. "Yes."

HIMYM

They immediately told Penny and Luke, who were beyond thrilled at the prospect of having Aunt Robin as their step-mother. They then agreed to wait until everyone was there to do the big reveal all at once. Ted continued working on the lunch he was making for everyone, while Robin tidied the living room to prepare for the guests. She had put her new ring in her pocket, but reached in every few seconds to make sure it was real, that she really was marrying Ted Mosby. She smiled as she touched it again. She was startled out of her reverie by a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" She opened the door to find Barney, Quinn, Ellie and Ben. "Hey, guys, come on in. The tree is in the living room, Penny and Luke are upstairs, and Ted is in the kitchen." She ushered them into the living room as Ellie and Ben took off in search of their cousins.

Ted came into the room and hugged Barney and Quinn. "Hey guys. Have a seat. We're having ham. It'll be ready in about twenty minutes." He looked over at his fiancee, and smiled. "How are you guys?"

Barney looked at his wife of two years and smiled. "It's been awesome, to tell you the truth. We just fit, you know? And it gets better every day." He gave Quinn a quick kiss, and finished with "plus, the sex is awesome!"

Quinn gave him a quick jab in the shoulder, but smiled all the same."True, but you don't have to broadcast it."

"Believe me, that was tame compared to old Barney," Ted laughed. Another knock interrupted their conversation. Ted crossed over to the door, and guided the Eriksen clan into the living room.

"Marvin, honey, why don't you go and get your cousins and bring them down for lunch. It smells like its almost ready." Lily then looked to her two younger children. "And you two, go wash up." Daisy and Little Ted grumbled as they made it over to the washroom.

Ted turned to the thundering hoard coming down the stairs and told them to all wash up as well. "And as soon as you're done, head into the dining room!"

HIMYM

After the large lunch feast, and all the gifts had been given, the three couples and Marvin retired to Ted's study; Luke, Little Ted, and Ben had gone to Luke's room to play video games, and Penny, Daisy, and Ellie were in her room, discussing boys and the latest in fashion.

Ted took a pull of the cold beer in his hand, and looked at all his friends gathered, and smiled. He looked down to Robin and winked at her, cueing her to put her ring back on. They were ready. "Guys, we have an announcement." All eyes looked to Ted in anticipation. "We're engaged." The room erupted in noise as everyone rushed to congratulate the newly engaged couple.

Marshall looked at Ted over the crying mass of women, and smiled. "Congrats buddy."

Ted smiled back at him, pulled Robin tightly to him, and said, "Thanks for pushing me."


	10. Chapter 10 - Beginning Again

**Chapter 10 - Beginning Again**

**April 2031**

Ted Mosby woke up the morning of April 5th, 2031 to a noticeable absence from his bed. Then he remembered why. He smiled to himself as he thought about what this day meant. _I'm getting married. _He laughed lightly as he flung his legs over the side of the bed to begin his day. Robin had stayed at a hotel in the city, as she had given up her apartment two weeks ago. He padded into the bathroom in his bare feet to begin his morning routine, when he heard a knock at the bedroom door. "Come in."

Penny walked into her Dad's room, brushing out her hair as she had already showered. She would be standing as Robin's Maid of Honor today, with Lily as Matron of Honor, and Quinn as a bridesmaid, as Luke would be standing as his best man alongside Marshall, with Barney as a groomsman. "Hey, Dad. Just making sure you were awake. I know how you like to sleep in on the weekends."

"Well, I was hardly going to sleep in today, Pen." He laughed at the look on his daughter's face. "I almost didn't get to sleep last night. I'm not afraid to say that I am a bit nervous."

"Really? That's crazy, Dad. What do you have to be nervous about, it's Aunt Robin."

"I know, I know. I'm being silly. Quick question though. Have you thought about what you're going to call her after today?"

Penny looked thoughtful. "Well, I don't really feel the whole 'mom' thing would work too well. And continuing with the Aunt Robin thing seems super weird. I was thinking, maybe just 'Robin' for now, until we figure something out."

Ted smiled at his eldest child. "I think that sounds perfect."

HIMYM

Ted, Penny, and Luke arrived at the venue right on time. Ted and Robin had decided to get married at the lighthouse at Pier Sixty in Chelsea. It was among the highest rated and in demand wedding spots in the city, so Robin had had to pull in a few favors to get it locked down, but it all worked out in the end. The wedding would be a medium sized affair, with just a cocktail reception. The excitement flowing through the people there was evident as Penny broke away from her father and brother to find Robin, and Ted and Luke made their way to the room reserved for the groom. "Hey, Marshall, thanks for getting here early. I really appreciate it," Ted greeted as he entered the room.

"No problem, buddy, like I would do anything to upset this day. You're marrying Robin! I'm super excited!"

"Calm down! I know it's exciting but we don't need to get overly worked up about it!", Ted laughed. "Luke, you go ahead and get dressed over there, I'll dress over here."

"Ok, Dad. Do I really have to wear the flower though?"

"Yes! Robin picked out that flower just for you."

Luke grumbled as he went to get dressed, "Fine, fine."

Ted looked over at Marshall, whose smile had only gotten bigger. He laughed, "OK, quit grinning like an idiot, and help me pick out a tie."

HIMYM

Ted stood nervously at the altar, waiting for Robin to come in. Quinn, Lily, and Penny were already there. The tune changed to Pachelbel's Canon in D, and slowly, Robin made her way into the room. Her father had passed away a year and a half ago, so Robin walked alone down the aisle, wearing a beautiful ivory colored dress with blue trim.

She smiled at Ted as he began to tear up at the altar. Seeing him standing there filled her with a joy that she would never be able to fully express. She arrived at the altar, and took Ted's hand, and they faced the officiant.

"We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Theodore Mosby and Robin Scherbatsky. The bride and groom have written their own vows, and will now share them with each other, before they exchange rings."

The officiant nodded to Ted, who turned to face Robin. "Robin, I never thought I would be ready to love again after I lost Tracy. That loss put a huge hole not only in my life, but the lives of my kids, and your life as well. Even though she told me I would, I never believed I would be ready. I fought this for as long as I could, but I give up. I give up pretending that I'm not in love with you. I give up pretending that I can live my life without you. I give up. I cannot believe how lucky I am. Most people only get one chance in this life at happiness, but I have been blessed enough to have two. Thank you for loving me, Robin. Thank you for loving Luke and Penny. Thank you for standing by me in my darkest days, and celebrating in my greatest joys. Thank you for allowing me to become your husband. I promise, from here until the end of my days, that I will love you as deeply as I can, I will treat you like you deserve, and I will be there for you, whatever the need. I love you."

The officiant nodded to Robin, and she blew her nose and wiped her eyes, and looked at the man she loved, "Ted, I never thought this day would come. I never thought I would get married again, and I never in a million years dreamed that it would be to you. What you and Tracy had was special, and a once in a lifetime love. I admit that I was at first envious of her, but as I got to know her, and saw the two of you together, I knew that what you had was something I could never have given you. And I loved Tracy so much. She was my best friend, like a sister to me. So it scared me when I started to have feelings for you again after she died. It scared me so much, that I buried it , hoping it would die. But like my love for Penny and Luke, it kept growing and growing until I could no longer deny it. I made a vow to myself that I would never pursue my feelings, because I would never want to betray my friend. But then, 10 months ago, you showed up beneath my apartment window with the blue french horn, and I knew you were ready to know my feelings. I still had my doubts, especially worrying about what Tracy would think, but wouldn't you know she wrote me a letter telling me to love you and give you happiness. So that is what I promise you, Ted Mosby. I promise to love you as long and as hard as I can, and bring you the happiness you so deserve. I love you."

Nearly everyone in the room was crying at this point. The officiant even had to wipe his eyes before continuing. "Ted, do you have the ring?" At Ted's nod in the affirmative, he continued. "Then take the ring, place it on her finger, and repeat after me, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

"With this ring, I thee wed." Ted smiled as he slid the ring on Robin's finger.

"Now Robin, take the ring, and repeat after me 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

Robin, smiling brightly enough to light the entire room, said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

The officiant smiled, "Then by the power vested in me by the State of New York, and by Almighty God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!" And Ted did just that.

HIMYM

Ted and Robin Mosby sat at a table with their closest friends, winding down after partying into the night. The kids had all been taken to a nearby hotel for the night. Marshall and Lily were cuddling across from Ted and Robin, and Barney and Quinn were kissing each other quite passionately on a third side of the table. Robin finished her champagne, looked at her new husband, and said, "Ted, let's go to the hotel."

Ted grinned at Robin and stood. "Good night guys. And Barney, Quinn, go get a room."

Barney paused long enough to flip Ted the bird, then continued making out with his wife. Marshall spoke quietly as not to wake the sleeping Lily on his shoulder. "Have fun you guys. We'll keep Penny and Luke entertained tomorrow." With that, the bride and groom left.

HIMYM

Ted unlocked the door to the Parkview Luxury Suite at the Gramercy Park Hotel. He and Robin stopped to admire the decor for just a moment before moving to the bedroom. Robin looked at her new husband and sighed. "Could this night get any more perfect?"

Ted smiled at her as he began to help her out of her wedding dress. "Well, Mrs. Mosby, lets find out…"


	11. Chapter 11 - The Big Moments

A/N: Well, this is the penultimate chapter. Time is going to speed up a bit these last two chapters, and the story will end with another wedding. That's all I'll say. ;) Also, I did let a reviewer know that I would be including Lily paying Marshall because Ted and Robin ended up together, but in the final edit of this chapter, it didn't fit. Suffice it to say, that she did pay up.

**Chapter 11 - The Big Moments**

**October 2033**

For the first time in many years, Ted Mosby had decided to hold a Halloween party at his house for both adults and teens, and the theme was super heroes and sidekicks. Subsequently, the house was teeming with people both old and young. Ted was dressed as Iron Man. He turned and saw his wife approaching him, dressed as SHIELD Agent Maria Hill. The resemblance to the actress who played her in the films was striking, and even at 53 Robin still looked great in the skin tight outfit. "Gorgeous."

"Shut up," she said as she pulled him in for a kiss. "Have you seen The Stinsons yet?"

"Nope. I'm really curious to see what Barney is coming as. All he would tell me is that it was 'legendary'"

"Original," she laughed and shook her head. "Do you suppose he'll ever fully grow up?"

"God, I hope not. Life would be dull with a boring Barney."

Just then, they heard the theme from Superman blaring throughout the house as the front door burst open, admitting Barney as Superman, and Quinn as Wonder Woman. Following behind them were Ellie, looking embarrassed at her father's antics and dressed as Supergirl, and Ben, dressed as Batman. "I hope no one has any Kryptonite, because I plan on having a _super _time." Quinn punched him in the shoulder, and he shut off the music. "Bro, I told you it would be legendary!"

Ted laughed and hugged his friends as they came in. "You were right. Totally legendary. Ellie, Ben, the kids are all in the backyard." The two kids ran through the house to the backyard. "Come on in guys. Food's in the dining room, drinks are in the kitchen."

Robin hugged them both as well, and then asked "Did you guys hear from Marshall and Lily? They were supposed to be here by now."

"No," Barney shook his head. "The last I heard, they were coming straight here from Wesleyan."

"I know that Marvin had some big news for them, so they might be taking longer than expected," Quinn added.

Ted slapped his forehead. "That's right. I forgot that he had some news for them." He slung his arm around his bride, and the foursome walked to the dining room to scour the food.

HIMYM

Marshall and Lily arrived with Teddy in tow an hour and a half later, their two oldest children both now attending Wesleyan. Teddy was dressed as Spiderman, and Marshall and Lily were dressed as Cyclops and Jean Grey from the X-Men. Lily looked furious and not at all in a festive mood as she pushed passed everyone straight to the kitchen. The party had died down a bit, so when they followed Lily and Marshall into the kitchen, the six of them were the only ones there, Teddy having gone in search of his cousins in the backyard. Lily was busily chugging down a bottle of wine, much to the astonishment of Ted, Robin, Barney, and Quinn. Marshall grabbed the bottle out of her hand. "Lilypad, that isn't going to solve anything."

"I know that, but it sure as hell makes me feel better," she said as she picked up a bottle of Glen Mckenna and took a swig.

"Guys, what the hell is going on? First of all, you're late. Second of all, Lily comes in here and tries to drink herself to death. What's up?," Ted asked, putting voice to the concern evident on everyone else's faces.

Marshall put his arm around Lily, who had begun to cry softly. "Marvin got married."

HIMYM

After everyone had left, the six friends sat in the study, finally ready to talk about what had happened. "Start at the beginning."

Marshall shrugged. "Honestly, there's really not much to tell. Marvin met this girl at college. Her name is Isabella Thurston. Well, it was anyway. They had been dating since last year. In August, when they got back to school, they apparently weren't that careful. She got pregnant." Everyone gasped. "Marvin knew that he was going to marry her someday, so decided to make that someday now. They got married two weeks ago."

Everyone sat back in their seats. Robin spoke first. "Well, he's being responsible at least."

Lily spoke through her tears. "It's not that. We're proud of him for that. I just wanted to be there. He's my firstborn."

Marshall hugged his wife tighter to his side. "Baby, don't worry. We have two more. And after the reaming you gave Marvin, you can believe those two will at least be inviting us to their weddings." The friends all laughed as Lily swatted Marshall.

"Damn straight."

**April 2036**

Ted sat in his office at Columbia, thinking. He was ready to make a big decision. But he really needed Robin's input. Their five year anniversary had just passed, and their lives had settled into a good rhythm. Both Penny and Luke were now off at college, Penny at Wesleyan, and Luke right here at Columbia. He was grateful that they had both decided to stay so close to home, but now was time to truly branch out and do new things. A knock at the door pulled him out of his reverie. "Come in."

Robin walked through the door and smiled as she greeted him. "Hey, honey."

Ted rose from behind his desk with a smile of his own and kissed her. "Hey, yourself."

"So, what's up? What did you want to talk about?", she asked as she sat on his couch.

He sat on the chair in front of his desk, and sighed. He picked up his water bottle, and took a small sip. "I want to retire."

Robin looked stunned at the news. "Really? But you love it so much."

"I do. But I'm ready. I've been teaching here for almost thirty years. I want to do something new."

Robin smiled at her husband's enthusiasm. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'd like to get back into designing buildings again. Maybe do some freelance lecturing or writing. But most of all, I want to slow down and spend time with you. I want to see new things, experience the sights and sounds of this big, wide world. But without agenda. Not because either of us is on business, but just because." He sighed. "I just want to live and have fun."

Robin grabbed his hands in hers, smiled, and kissed him. "That sounds like an excellent plan, Mr. Mosby. Count me in."

He laughed and picked her up in a big hug. "Let's do it, Mrs. Mosby. Let's conquer the world."

**February 2038**

Ted and Robin stood silently as people dressed in black continued to file passed them, shaking hands, offering condolences. Robin looked at her grief stricken husband, and could tell he was holding up well. He smiled, and was engaging each person as they came through the line. If he was wallowing, he would be completely shut down. Time and the counseling he had been through had definitely matured and changed him. As the last people said their condolences, Robin gestured to the small living room of his mother's house.

Ted sat, and Robin sat next to him. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"You did so well. I'm so proud of you. How are you feeling?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm happy for her. She was so sick these last couple of years. I'm just glad she's not in pain anymore." Ted wiped the tears from his eyes, gathered up his kids, said goodbye to Clint, and made their way back to New York.

HIMYM

The ride back to New York was a good one, with the little family enjoying each other's company. Penny, however, seemed to be fiddling with something in her pocket. Robin looked at her and mouthed _Tell him._

Penny smiled at her stepmother, and said, "Hey, Dad. I'm getting hungry. Can we stop?"

Ted looked at the exits they were near, and pulled off to New Columbia, Pennsylvania and the Bonanza Steakhouse. "Alright guys, lets eat."

After their food had been ordered, Penny cleared her throat. "Dad, there's something I have to tell you."

Ted straightened up at his daughters tone. "What is it, Pen?"

"Jared asked me to marry him. I said yes. But not until after Graduation. Actually, Not until June of next year."

Ted's jaw dropped nearly to the floor. He had known for some time that Jared was going to ask, but in this moment, he was not expecting it. Not even a little. "Wow. Just…. wow. Well, congratulations." He smiled, got up and went over to the other side of the table to hug his daughter.

After Ted sat back down, Penny had a complete look of bewilderment on her face. "Dad. That's it? That's all you have to say? No going crazy, sending Jared death threats, none of that?"

Ted and Robin both laughed. Luke and Penny looked at each other as if they had grown three new heads each. "Penny, Jared came to me, what, 7 months ago and asked for my blessing. I knew this was coming. So did Robin."

"Robin! You let me think dad was going to flip his lid."

Robin smiled. "Of course I did. It was hilarious."

Luke laughed then, and was joined by Ted and Robin, as Penny crossed her arms in a huff. "It wasn't funny," she said, which caused the other three to laugh even harder.

**June 2039**

The gang was all gathered together once again for one of their big moments. The wedding of Penny Mosby. They were in the church where her parents had married nineteen years earlier. Penny was wearing her mother's wedding dress, at her request. She sat in her preparation room with her bridesmaids and Robin, awaiting the news that they were ready to start. "I am so ready to get this done. What is the holdup?", she asked , her nerves getting the better of her.

Just then the door opened to admit her father. "Ready."

Robin hugged Ted and went to find her seat, as the bridesmaids all giggled and tittered and lined up in the correct order. Ted helped his daughter up and took her arm. "How did Jared look, Dad?"

"Good. The tux is nice."

"I meant does he look nervous at all?"

Ted smiled, "Of course he does. All men are nervous on their wedding day."

"I remember how you were when you married Robin. You were a wreck."

"That was nothing compared to when I married your mom," he said wistfully.

She laughed. "I was only five, but I remember that too. You know, I've been thinking about her a lot today."

Ted turned to her. "She would have loved to be here. Absolutely would have loved to be here for you. Helping you get ready. Picking out the right jewelry…" He wiped his eyes.

"She is here, Dad. She always has been."

HIMYM

Ted and Robin sat in bed later that night, after the reception had ended. He was looking very wistful as Robin finished a magazine. "What a great wedding."

Robin looked at him and smiled. "It really was. Penny looked just gorgeous in Tracy's dress."

"I thought about her a lot today. Tracy, that is."

"Hard not to when her spitting image is getting married, but I know what you mean. When I was putting Penny's hair up, I kept thinking about how it should be Tracy doing this. I even told Penny that. But she just took my hand and said, 'If she couldn't be here to do it, I'm glad it's you who is.'" Robin sniffled, and then blew her nose. "Gross." She smiled at Ted again. "You have some pretty great kids there, Mr. Mosby."

"No. We have some great kids."

HIMYM

Ted had just started the coffee the morning after the wedding, when his vidphone rang. "Answer. Hey there, Marshall. What can I do for you this fine Sunday morning?"

Marshall's eyes were rimmed in red. "Ted. You have to come. Barney had a heart attack. They don't know if he's going to make it."


	12. Chapter 12 - Last Forever, Part 3

**Chapter 12 - Last Forever, Part 3**

**June 2039**

Ted and Robin rushed into the waiting room to see Marshall, Lily, Ellie, and Ben. "Any news?", Ted asked as he hugged Ellie.

"They're still working on him. Quinn went to go call James," answered Marshall.

The six of them sat down, holding onto each other for dear life. _Not like this, _thought Ted, _not this young._ Barney had just turned 63 a month ago. _And he was so happy at the wedding. _Ted was brought out of his musings by return of Quinn.

"Anyone come out yet?", she asked, tears streaming down her face.

Lily answered, "Nothing yet. Did you get a hold of James?"

"Yeah. He and Tom are on their way." Quinn broke down again. "He can't leave me, he just can't."

Robin got up and gathered Quinn in her arms. "Oh, honey, this won't get him. This is Barney Stinson. The man who was hit by a bus and survived. He'll beat this."

Just then, a doctor came into the room. "Mrs. Stinson?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like me to discuss your husband's condition here or in private?", the doctor asked.

"Here is fine. They're family," she smiled at her friends and hugged Robin tighter.

"Well, not to put to fine a point on it, but your husband is a very lucky man. If he hadn't gotten here when he did, we wouldn't have been able to save him."

"So, tell me. How is he now?"

"He's stable. We had to perform an emergency angioplasty and stent placement to clear the artery. He won't need surgery, but he will have a tough road ahead of him. He's asleep right now, and he's going to be sore for a while, but he's going to make it."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and began hugging and laughing with each other. "Can I see him?"

"As long as you're quiet."

"I'm bringing our kids, too." She motioned for Ellie and Ben to follow, and they all went through the double doors.

HIMYM

Later that day, Barney woke up to a bed surrounded by his family and friends. "Hey guys. Why is everyone all crowded around my bed? And why do you all look so serious?"

Quinn smiled at her husband. "Because, you big idiot, we love you," she said while gently hugging him close.

"Don't ever do that again, Dad," Ellie cried as she too grabbed hold of her father.

"Believe me, I won't." He smiled at the rest of the group as Ben joined the family hug. "Well, I guess this qualifies as a big moment."

Ted laughed, "Yes, Barney, but all you had to do was come over if you wanted to hang out."

"Definitely. Don't scare us like that again, Stinson," added Robin sternly.

"Believe me, if I have anything to say about it, I never want to go through that again."

**March 2044**

Ted was packing the last things in his study in preparation for the move. He looked around at the bare walls and smiled. It was time for Penny and his grandchildren to build memories here. He was startled by a knock at the door. he looked up to see Luke standing there. "Luke! I wasn't expecting a visit today!"

"I know, Dad, but I have something to tell you."

"Have a seat."

Luke sat and looked at his father and smiled. "Dad, I'm getting married."

Ted could not cover the look of shock on his face. "I didn't even know you were seeing someone."

Luke smiled again. "Well, we've actually been together for two and a half years. We've been keeping it quiet. But we don't want to anymore. We're ready for everyone to know."

"What do you mean, everyone?"

"Well, it's Ellie."

Ted felt like he had just had a bomb dropped in his lap. "Wait, what? Ellie, as in Ellie Stinson?"

"Yup."

"Oh my god. Seriously?"

"Yup. In fact, she's telling Uncle Barney and Aunt Quinn right now."

HIMYM

"Wait, what? Luke, as in Luke Mosby?", Barney exclaimed.

"Yup."

"Oh my god. Seriously?"

"Yup, he's telling his dad right now. Aunt Robin's on her way back from Vancouver, so he couldn't tell her yet."

Barney looked completely flabbergasted. "But, how did you guys keep this a secret? WHY did you keep it a secret?"

Quinn laughed at that, "Honey, look how you're freaking out right now. How would it have been if you had known all this time. You would have tried to interfere, no matter who she dated."

"That is so true, Dad. I know you wanted me to go out and live life for a while, like you did. But I'm not you. I may have loved the little games when I was younger, but I love Luke more."

Barney deflated. "If you're sure, then I won't stop you."

Ellie smothered her parents in a hug. "Thank you."

**December 2044**

The gang sat in the booth at MacLaren's that they had occupied so often in their youth. They had gathered there after the final wedding of the younger generation. Ted looked around the bar, which had not changed much since he had started hanging out there over forty years ago. He then smiled at his friends, who had all gathered at the bar for the last time before their big move. "I wanna make a toast. To family."

The rest of the gang clinked their glasses together. "To family."

"Do you think this will be the last time we're here?", Lily sniffled.

"We'll be back up to visit the kids, so I highly doubt it. What would MacLaren's be without us visiting at least once in a while?", Marshall answered.

"I am gonna miss it here. All the memories that are wrapped up in this city… But I won't miss the winters!", Barney said.

They all laughed, except for Marshall and Robin, who both shared a look as if to say that the cold of New York was nothing. "But it's good that we're moving. New York is a place for the young. We're all old!", Robin said.

"Says the second youngest here. But you're right. It's time to enjoy sun, warm beaches, and the rest of our lives," said Ted. "One more round?"

The gang all nodded in the affirmative, and enjoyed their last drink at MacLaren's, because even though they did visit the city from time to time, they never stepped foot in the bar again.

**July 2045**

Ted sat on the porch of Marshall and Lily's beachfront home, breathing in the salt air, and looked up as Robin handed him a drink. Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Quinn then joined them. As they all looked out on the ocean, Ted asked, "Lily, we're finally here. The front porch. Does everyone here pass the test?"

After the laughter died down, Lily replied, "Of course. Though I have to admit, Barney and Quinn weren't always here when I envisioned the future. And, neither was Robin."

"Yeah, I never really thought I would be here either. But, I'm glad I am." Robin leaned over and kissed her husband.

"Us too," said Barney. "Though, do you think we could still try to make Weekend at Barney's work?"

That earned laughter and a small smack from his wife. "Not on your life, Barney Stinson."

Ted smiled. "Well, even though we travel, Robin and I are glad that you guys are here when we get homesick."

"We love it when you guys come over. I'm sure your condo is nice, but it's not right on the beach," said Marshall.

"Actually, we wanted to tell you guys. You know the place next door to Barney and Quinn?" They all nodded, and Ted continued. "Well, we just bought it. We've decided to travel less and settle down."

A cheer rang up from the friends as they all hugged each other. "This is so awesome, we might finally need to learn how to play bridge!", Marshall said excitedly.

They all laughed again and settled into the deck chairs to watch the waves crash against the beach. Ted looked at his friends again with a smile and closed his eyes.

Robin kissed his nose. "What are you thinking about?"

Ted gave his wife a squeeze. "That this moment is just about perfect. And that I want it to last forever."

END

A/N: Well, there you have it. The end to my version of events in our favorite characters lives. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And just for the curious, yes I am going to write a short Barney/Ellie/Quinn/Ben story set in this universe, but it won't be for a while as I have some pressing real life issues to deal with. But I am including here how everyone ended up.

- Ted and the gang live in Florida. They all decided to move there after Barney's second heart attack in 2042. The better weather and clearer skies were recommended to Barney by his cardiologist, and the rest of the gang was close to retirement anyway, so they decided to all move together. Ted and Robin still travel a bit, but mostly love their beach home. Barney and Quinn enjoy a very quiet lifestyle due to Barney's ongoing health issues. Marshall and Lily went on to become Bridge champions in their little community. The other four never really got into the game.

- Marvin and Bella Eriksen live in New York. Marvin followed in his fathers footsteps and became a lawyer. Bella is a stay at home mom to their three children, Little Marshall, Emma, and Rayna.

- Dr. Daisy Eriksen has never married. She lives in Africa as a medical missionary.

- Ted Eriksen married Laura Heidt in 2042. They have one child, named after Ted's favorite uncle, Barney. Ted is a police officer with the NYPD. Laura is a nurse at Bellevue Hospital.

- Penny and Jared Green live in Ted's old house in Pleasantville. They have two children, Ted and Tracy. Penny is a fashion designer and Jared is a financial analyst for a big Wall Street firm.

- Luke and Ellie Mosby live in Manhattan. They have two children, Erika and Michelle. Luke followed in his father's footsteps and is an architect. He, too, designed a skyscraper in Manhattan, that stands just five blocks from the GNB Tower. Ellie took over for her step-mother's restaurant business, and will eventually expand it to a global franchise operation.

- Ben Stinson (Barney adopted him) lives with his fiancee, Richard Morgan, in Boston. Ben is attending Harvard University, working on his MBA. Richard is a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox.

Thank you all again, and please review!


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